Causes

• An ischemic stroke is caused by a reduction in blood flow to the brain. This can be caused by a blockage or narrowing in an artery that supplies blood to the brain or when the blood flow is reduced because of a heart or other condition.
• A hemorrhagic stroke develops when an artery in the brain leaks or bursts and causes bleeding inside the brain tissue or near the surface of the brain.

Before having a stroke, you may have one or more TIAs, which are warning signals that a stroke may soon occur. TIAs are often called mini strokes because their symptoms are similar to those of a stroke. However, unlike stroke symptoms, TIA symptoms usually disappear within 10 - 20 minutes but may last up to 24-hours.

Symptoms
Symptoms of a stroke begin suddenly and may include:

• Numbness, weakness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Vision problems in one or both eyes, such as double vision or loss of vision.
• Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
• Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• Severe headache.

How to prevent
You can help prevent a stroke by eliminating risk factors.

Risk factors that you can change include some disease. If you can control the disease, you may lower your risk for stroke. Controllable risk factors include:

• High blood pressure -  High blood pressure is the second most important stroke risk factor after age.
• Diabetes -  Having diabetes doubles your risk for stroke because of the circulation problems associated with the disease.
• High cholesterol -  High cholesterol can lead to coronary artery disease and heart attack, which can damage the heart muscle and increase your risk for stroke.
• Other heart conditions -  Atrial fibrillation, endocarditis, heart valve conditions or cardiomyopathy.
• Smoking - Daily cigarette smoking can increase the risk of stroke 2 1/2 times.
• Lack of physical activity.

Some risk factors; however, can't be changed. Risk factors that you cannot change include:

• Age - The risk for stroke increase with age. Most strokes occur in people older than 65.
• Race - African Americans and Hispanics have a higher risk than people of other races.
• Gender -  Stroke is more common in men than women. However, at older ages, more women than men have strokes. At all ages, more women than men die of stroke.
• Family history -  The risk for stroke is greater if a parent, brother or sister has had a stroke or transient ischemic attach (TIA).
• Prior history of stroke or TIA - About 14% of people who have a stroke have another stroke within one year.